Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
The Services Producer Price Index (SPPI) aims to measure the development of prices in Swedish enterprises that provide services. The SPPI is from a producer perspective, meaning that the price index should reflect the change of the actual price that the producer receives.
The indices are designed primarily for deflation purposes in order to calculate production at constant prices in National Accounts as well as the Index of Service Production and Production Value Index. Other important uses are for general economic and inflation analysis and for indexation of business agreements.
3.2. Classification system
SPIN 2015 (Swedish version of CPA 2.1)
3.3. Coverage - sector
The covered sections are H, I, J, L, M, N, R and S.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Published indexes are BtoAll. Prices measured are mainly B2B. Indexes from CPI are used for product groups, or part of product groups that are B2C. Only Swedish enterprises are surveyed quarterly. Survey is split between domestic and foreign customers, but transmitted aggregated.
3.5. Statistical unit
Observation unit: Transaction
Reporting unit: Enterprise
3.6. Statistical population
The population is transactions of services provided by Swedish enterpises selling products in sections: H, I, J, L, M, N, R and S according to SPIN 2015.
The frame is Structural business statistics from Statistics Sweden. This source is also used for weights.
3.7. Reference area
The survey covers enterprises located in Sweden.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The fírst indices within SPPI were developed in the 1990's. Most of the indices were developed 2003-2008. We are still developing new indices.
3.9. Base period
Base year: The weights are re-estimated every year using data t-2 (the prices are multiplied with the price development until the last quarter of t-1)
Reference period: last quarter previous year.
Reference year: 2021=100
Indices.
The reference period: quarter
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Official Statistics Act of 2001 (Lagen (2001:99) om den officiella statistiken) supplemented by a regulation on Official Statistics (Förordningen (2001:100) om den officiella statistiken). Under the ordinance Statistics Sweden issues specific directions (Statistiska centralbyråns föreskrifter (SCB FS 2021:39) om uppgifter till statistik om prisindex i producent- och importled). (EBS) Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 on 27 November 2019 and the Commission implementing Regulation 2020/1197.
Reporting units are obliged to provide information. Non-respondents may be fined.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Eurostat
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The law on confidentiality (Offentlighets och sekretesslagen (2009:400)) is applied.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Confidential data are suppressed. For indices to be published we need more than three responding companies and none of these can have more than 60% of turnover in the strata, and two of them cannot have more than 90 % of the turnover.
8.1. Release calendar
The release calendar is available on the web site as from November for the following calendar year.
Data is released simultaneously to all interested parties by electronic media.
There is no prior access to data for public administration (or Government) other than the statistical office.
Data is transmitted to Eurostat immediately following the national release.
Quarterly
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
News release and tables for the Swedish SPPI at link below. The news releases cover home sales price index, export price index, import price index and Service producer price index.
The indicators are released on Statistics Sweden’s website. The relevant subject area is “Priser och konsumtion” (“Prices and consumption” in the English version of the site). Sweden’s Statistical database and Statistical News are available on the website.
Various aspects of quality are evaluated and improved according to annual action plans. However, there are no regular indicators of quality other than the weighted response rate. Quarterly weighted non-response is normally between around 20 % on average.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Data is published approximately 40 days after the reference period.
Missing observations (around 20 %) is imputed by nearby aggregates.
The use of international standards assures geographical comparisons.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main user is National accounts for deflation.
Eurostat use the indices for national data.
Companies use the indices for long term contract regulations.
Economic analysts use the indices for forecasting GDP.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
The STS requirements are fullfilled.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
We expect there is no major bias in our data. However, there is a level of uncertainty.
The following areas of uncertainty are examined:
Coverage: Not assessed as a big error source.
Sampling: Represents a non trivial uncertainty.
Non-response: A non trivial uncertainty.
Measurement: Assessed to be the largest contributor to uncertainty for SPPI.
Data processing: A non-significant uncertainty.
Model assumptions: The second largest source of uncertainty.
13.2. Sampling error
A PPS (probability proportional to size sampling)-method is used for sampling where large objects are drawn with certainty. Approximately 5.300 prices are collected monthly from around 4.600 enterprises. If we consider an enterprise to be covered when we have one measurment in the strata our coverage is around 35 %.
A cut-off 10 million SEK per frame element is applied in each strata. For SPPI in total this means that about 15 % of the population, turnover wise, cannot be sampled.
Smaller companies are assumed to be price takers, i.e. their price movement cannot be different than the companies sampled within the strata.
Variances and Standard errors are calculated for allocation purposes.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Non-sampling errors cannot be estimated in numbers. Estimations on the risk of error from a certain non-sampling error source is carried out at the product group level non-regularly. They are only used internally and are not disseminated.
14.1. Timeliness
Publication is at 08:00 a.m. according to a pre-determined calendar, and occurs normally around 40 days after the end of the reference quarter.
1. Questionnaires are sent at the end of the quarter in order to reach the respondent on the 1st working day following the end of the reference quarter. 2. Deadline for reply is the 20th of the month following the reference quarter. 3. A mail reminder is sent after the 20th of the month following the reference quarter. 4. Publication is around the 10th of the month (on a friday most of the time).
14.2. Punctuality
The releases have always been on time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Within Sweden, no separate geographical data is compiled. EBS regulations are applied in the whole country, and should therefore be comparable to other countries following the same regulations.
15.2. Comparability - over time
The first series were published in 1995. Most of the Swedish SPPIs were developed 2003-2008 but we are still developping new indices.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The population is the same as in Structural Business Statistics and Foreign Trade In Services. Indices are used for deflation in National Accounts and ISP (index of services production).
15.4. Coherence - internal
Chain-linking and price updating of weights (turnover) are done annually. We have not observed any inconsistencies within the dataset.
Respondents burden is estimated as 17 min per respondent and quarter. There are around 4.600 respondents giving a total burden on approximately 1300 hours per quarter.
The cost for Statistics Sweden is appoximately 800 hours per quarter (including data collection, auditing, calculations and publishing).
17.1. Data revision - policy
If an error is conducted by Statistics Sweden we make an external revision. If wrong data is submitted by respondents we just make an internal revision and try to adjust the external indices to correct level as soon as possible without changing published data. The same revision policy is applied to STS data released nationally and transmitted to Eurostat
17.2. Data revision - practice
The first release is considered final. Therefore revisions should not appear. Major methodological changes are announced in advance.
18.1. Source data
Statistical survey.
The frame used for sampling and derivation of weights is mainly based on the results of the Structural business statistics survey.
PPS-sampling with cut-off is used. Turnover by product is used as indicator of size.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Quarterly.
18.3. Data collection
Web questionnaire for most of the resondents, very similiar to the ones used in PPI. A few respondents give prices via e-mail.
Some changes are planned in questionnaires due to new instructions on validation at Statistics Sweden.
18.4. Data validation
The indices are audited in the standard routines. Plausibility checks are conducted against similiar products/product groups and with business intelligence.
18.5. Data compilation
Non-response: For non-response the missing observations are imputed with the average quarterly development of similiar products, if there is not any other information that gives that unchanged price is more likely.
Type of index: A chain-linked Laspeyre-type index is used where the base is the 4th quarter previous year. The weights are recalculated each year with turnover data from t-2. These turnover data is price updated to the 4th quarter previous year. Every period a last link is calculated for each aggregate (using the weigths of the year) and multiplied with the index of the 4th quarter previous year.
Quality adjustment: Is done according to the methods in Producer Price Index Manual from IMF etc.
Grossing-up is treated within the weighting procedure.
18.6. Adjustment
Prices quoted in currencies other than the national one are converted into the national currency. Sub-indices are compiled according to the EBS Regulation, for (and within) SPIN 2015.
Data are not calendar and seasonally adjusted.
No comments.
The Services Producer Price Index (SPPI) aims to measure the development of prices in Swedish enterprises that provide services. The SPPI is from a producer perspective, meaning that the price index should reflect the change of the actual price that the producer receives.
The indices are designed primarily for deflation purposes in order to calculate production at constant prices in National Accounts as well as the Index of Service Production and Production Value Index. Other important uses are for general economic and inflation analysis and for indexation of business agreements.
28 May 2025
Published indexes are BtoAll. Prices measured are mainly B2B. Indexes from CPI are used for product groups, or part of product groups that are B2C. Only Swedish enterprises are surveyed quarterly. Survey is split between domestic and foreign customers, but transmitted aggregated.
Observation unit: Transaction
Reporting unit: Enterprise
The population is transactions of services provided by Swedish enterpises selling products in sections: H, I, J, L, M, N, R and S according to SPIN 2015.
The frame is Structural business statistics from Statistics Sweden. This source is also used for weights.
The survey covers enterprises located in Sweden.
The reference period: quarter
We expect there is no major bias in our data. However, there is a level of uncertainty.
The following areas of uncertainty are examined:
Coverage: Not assessed as a big error source.
Sampling: Represents a non trivial uncertainty.
Non-response: A non trivial uncertainty.
Measurement: Assessed to be the largest contributor to uncertainty for SPPI.
Data processing: A non-significant uncertainty.
Model assumptions: The second largest source of uncertainty.
Indices.
Non-response: For non-response the missing observations are imputed with the average quarterly development of similiar products, if there is not any other information that gives that unchanged price is more likely.
Type of index: A chain-linked Laspeyre-type index is used where the base is the 4th quarter previous year. The weights are recalculated each year with turnover data from t-2. These turnover data is price updated to the 4th quarter previous year. Every period a last link is calculated for each aggregate (using the weigths of the year) and multiplied with the index of the 4th quarter previous year.
Quality adjustment: Is done according to the methods in Producer Price Index Manual from IMF etc.
Grossing-up is treated within the weighting procedure.
Statistical survey.
The frame used for sampling and derivation of weights is mainly based on the results of the Structural business statistics survey.
PPS-sampling with cut-off is used. Turnover by product is used as indicator of size.
Quarterly
Publication is at 08:00 a.m. according to a pre-determined calendar, and occurs normally around 40 days after the end of the reference quarter.
1. Questionnaires are sent at the end of the quarter in order to reach the respondent on the 1st working day following the end of the reference quarter. 2. Deadline for reply is the 20th of the month following the reference quarter. 3. A mail reminder is sent after the 20th of the month following the reference quarter. 4. Publication is around the 10th of the month (on a friday most of the time).
Within Sweden, no separate geographical data is compiled. EBS regulations are applied in the whole country, and should therefore be comparable to other countries following the same regulations.
The first series were published in 1995. Most of the Swedish SPPIs were developed 2003-2008 but we are still developping new indices.
